✧˚ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒍

4

as the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, y/n felt a wave of relief wash over her. she had made it through her first day at her new school, and now all she had to do was meet up with saitō, who had texted her earlier, saying he would be waiting outside to escort her to the car. with a small smile, she hurriedly put away the cleaning supplies (as akademi high school requires its students to clean the campus daily), eager to leave the classroom and head downstairs to change her shoes.

the hallways were packed with students, all eager to get home, their voices blending into a cacophony of chatter and laughter. y/n did her best to blend into the mass exodus, moving with the flow of the crowd as she made her way toward the entrance. despite the chaos around her, her thoughts drifted back to the events of the day. saikou megamo's warning about aishi ayato lingered in her mind, but she quickly dismissed it, not wanting to dwell on it any longer.

what really upset her was how saikou had made it clear that after the tour earlier, she was no longer his responsibility. then again, she can't blame him...she's sure that given his role, megamo is insanely busy compared to the regular student. however, he had been adamant that if she encountered any issues, she should go straight to the headmaster or the student council to resolve them. y/n appreciated his concern, but she couldn't help but feel a little isolated now that she was on her own.

lost in her thoughts, y/n was completely unaware of the string of students running past her, presumably friends who were laughing and making a ruckus. their carefree energy was palpable as they sprinted down the hallway, not paying attention to where they were going. one of the boys, hikitsuri gaku, was especially careless as he barreled down the corridor, his attention focused solely on his friends.

in his haste, gaku rammed into the shoulder of ayato, who had been quietly making his way back to his classroom to gather his belongings. the impact was sudden and forceful, causing ayato to lose his footing. a girl nearby scowled at the delinquent sprinting by, shouting, "hey, watch it!"

the aggressive shove from gaku sent ayato stumbling backward, his balance completely thrown off. y/n, still lost in her own world, didn't even see him coming until it was too late.

before she could react, ayato crashed into her, his momentum forcing her up against the wall. y/n gasped in surprise, her heart racing as she found herself pinned between the cold surface of the wall and ayato's body. the force of the collision made her wince, but she barely had time to register the discomfort before she felt ayato's hands slam against the wall on either side of her head!

he was trying to stop himself from hurting her further, caging her in as he struggled to regain his balance.

for a few seconds, everything seemed to freeze. the noisy hallway faded into the background as y/n found herself staring up at ayato's face, which was only inches away from hers. his grey eyes were wide with surprise, and she could see the flicker of something else— guilt, maybe— in their depths. his breathing was slightly labored from the sudden impact, and she could feel the warmth of his body so close to hers.

"i-i'm sorry," ayato struggled to say, his voice barely above a whisper. he was stammering. why was that? he never stammered. his usual stoic demeanor was gone, replaced by a look of genuine concern as he tried to pull back without hurting her further.

y/n's heart pounded in her chest, the sudden proximity making her cheeks flush. she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin, and it made the situation all the more intense. "it's okay," she reassured the dark-haired boy, her voice shaking slightly. she couldn't deny the adrenaline coursing through her veins, the shock of the situation leaving her a bit disoriented. her mind raced, struggling to process what had just happened. "are you alright?" she then asked.

"i...yes..." ayato nodded, his eyes wide as he finally stepped back, putting some distance between them. he could feel his heart racing so quickly that it hurt his chest. he rubbed the area for a brief moment, his breathing shallow as he tried to calm down. this was so unlike him. usually, he could maintain a cool, indifferent facade no matter the situation, but something about this encounter had completely thrown him off balance. his eyes flicked back onto y/n, scanning her expression for any signs of discomfort. "and you? i didn't hurt you, did i?" he inquired, his tone soft but tinged with an uncharacteristic urgency. it was as if the mere thought of causing her any harm was unbearable to him.

y/n blinked in surprise. this was the same boy saikou had warned her about just hours ago? the cold, distant figure that was supposedly best avoided? she couldn't reconcile that image with the person standing in front of her now. he seemed so different, so genuinely concerned about her well-being. "i'm stronger than i look," y/n replied, smiling gently, trying to ease his worry.

ayato's breath caught in his throat as he watched her smile. there was something about her expression that made his heart skip a beat. he wasn't sure what it was—her kindness, her understanding, or maybe just the way she didn't seem afraid of him despite everything. his mind raced, trying to grasp the source of these unfamiliar feelings swirling inside him.

he opened his mouth to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come. all he could do was stand there, staring at her, feeling a strange warmth spread through his chest. finally, he tore his gaze away, looking down at the floor as if he could find some sort of answer there. "i'm...glad," he murmured, almost to himself, though he wasn't sure what he was glad about—the fact that she was okay or something else entirely. y/n noticed the shift in his demeanor, the way he seemed almost vulnerable at that moment.

it made her want to understand him better, to figure out why someone who was supposedly so cold and distant could show such concern. but before she could say anything else, the noise of students in the hallway started to pull them both back to reality, reminding them that they were still in the middle of a crowded school.

she'd be lucky if no one else saw the fiasco. if so much as a single person witnessed it, took a photo, and uploaded it, the press would have a field day with it by making all sorts of rumors and trying to tear down her reputation by any means necessary whilst s/n y/n's agency would have their hands full cleaning all of it up.

ugh.

"i should..." ayato trailed off, gesturing vaguely in the direction of his classroom, though he seemed reluctant to leave. his voice was enough to break y/n from her daze. "i have to get my things." he said, matter-of-factly.

"right," y/n nodded, stepping aside to give him space. "i should be going too." she awkwardly admitted, not wanting to keep her bodyguard waiting longer than he needed to.

there was a brief, awkward silence between them, filled only by the distant chatter of other students. neither of them seemed to know what to say or do next. finally, ayato gave a small, almost hesitant nod before turning away and walking down the hall. but as he left, he couldn't resist glancing back over his shoulder one last time, his eyes lingering on y/n as if he were trying to memorize every detail of her before disappearing into the crowd.

y/n watched him go, her thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and curiosity. she didn't know what had just happened between them, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was something important, something that would stay with her long after she left the school grounds.